GEO Group

NEWARK, NJ — They broke through a second-story wall, jumped onto mattresses and climbed over an outside fence. That’s how four federal immigration detainees escaped a privately run prison in Newark last week, authorities say. On Tuesday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced additional charges against Franklin Norberto Bautista Reyes, 20, of Honduras, Joan Sebastian Castaneda Lozada, 18, of Colombia, Andres Felipe Pineda Mogollon, 25, of Colombia, and Joel Enrrique Sandoval-Lopez, 22, of Honduras. In their statement, federal authorities detailed how the four men escaped Delaney Hall in Newark on June 12. According to prosecutors, the four prisoners broke through an aluminum second-story wall. They dropped mattresses through an opening in the wall, giving them a landing place to jump onto. The detainees then climbed over a fence, using bedsheets to cover barbed wire on their way out. Castaneda Lozada, Sandoval-Lopez and Bautista Reyes have been apprehended. Pineda Mogollon remains at large. Each detainee has been charged with escape from the custody of an institution or officer, which carries a maximum penalty of one year imprisonment and a $100,000 fine, prosecutors said. >> Read More: 3 Of 4 Escaped ICE Detainees Captured After 'Uprising' At Prison In NJ The incident took place amid ongoing protests at the controversial ICE detainment center, with reports of poor treatment of inmates and a detainee “uprising” emerging on the day of the escape. The company that runs Delaney Hall, the GEO Group, has disputed these claims. Speaking to reporters outside the prison on Friday, U.S. Sen. Andy Kim said that a major security review is now underway, and it is uncertain if other walls in the facility are also vulnerable. Kim said the incident took place amid rising tensions over a lack of access to food. Advocates have also made other allegations about other issues, including medical care and sanitary conditions. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) started housing detainees at the 1,000-bed facility on May 1. The prison has seen a wave of controversy and protests since then, including several arrests involving demonstrators. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka has been among the local officials demanding more oversight at the privately run prison. “As stated in our ongoing legal complaint, the City of Newark has never received permit applications from GEO Group to construct an interior wall,” Baraka said in the wake of last week’s escape. “Had [the GEO Group] applied for a certificate of occupancy and/or construction permits, the city would have inspected the integrity of that wall,” the mayor continued. “This chaotic outcome is precisely why the city has ordinances requiring all facilities, including this ICE facility, to apply for the proper permits – and why we have taken the GEO Group to court to ensure the safety of both detainees and their own employees.” “This incident is yet another outrageous validation of the negative consequences of a federal government that believes it is above the prudence and practicality of working within legal parameters, and encourages reckless operations of its collaborators,” Baraka alleged. The GEO Group said it is working with ICE and local law enforcement to apprehend the detainees and carry out an investigation into how the escape took place. A company spokesperson disputed claims of poor conditions at the prison: ICE officials announced plans to reopen Delaney Hall earlier this year. The facility formerly held immigration detainees until it closed in 2017 and was turned into a halfway house. According to a statement from the GEO Group, the 15-year, fixed-price contract for Delaney Hall is expected to generate in excess of $60 million in annualized revenues for GEO in the first full year of operations. The company estimated the 15-year value of the contract with normal cost of living adjustments to be approximately $1 billion. “We are continuing to prepare for what we believe is an unprecedented opportunity to help the federal government meet its expanded immigration enforcement priorities,” GEO Group executive chair George Zoley said. ICE’s expansion efforts in the Garden State have faced stiff opposition from immigration advocates in New Jersey, however, who have pointed to a state law that bans all prisons – private or public – from making new contracts with ICE to hold federal detainees. The law has seen pushback since Gov. Phil Murphy signed it in 2021. The GEO Group and CoreCivic – which runs the Elizabeth Detention Center in Union County – have challenged the state ban in court. The administration of former president Joe Biden took the side of private prison companies in that case, arguing that ICE needed detention centers near airports to expedite operations. A judge ruled in 2023 that CoreCivic could keep its jail in Elizabeth open. Federal authorities and prison companies are now seeking to add more detention space in New Jersey, despite the state ban. President Donald Trump has argued that a nationwide crackdown is needed to push back against a “large-scale invasion” of illegal immigration. On the first day of his second term, the White House announced a sweeping wave of presidential actions and executive orders, including several involving immigration. The GEO Group, which is valued at $4 billion, and CoreCivic, which is valued at $2.2 billion, are part of a massive industry that is expected to grow significantly while President Donald Trump is in office, Open Secrets recently reported. According to Open Secrets, the GEO Group spent $1.38 million lobbying the federal government in 2024, and CoreCivic spent $1.77 million. Much of their focus was the appropriations bill funding the Department of Homeland Security, which includes the budget for ICE. The day after Trump was reelected to his second term, the companies’ stock prices soared: GEO Group’s by about 41 percent and CoreCivic’s by nearly 29 percent. Read More: 2 Private Prison Companies With NJ Ties May Score Big Profits From Trump Deportations Although the focus on federal immigration enforcement has ramped up since Trump took office, ICE raids also took place in New Jersey during Biden’s watch. Read More: NJ Activists Say Biden’s Playbook On Immigration Is Similar To Trump’s Catch up with some of our previous coverage below (click headlines to read article): Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Learn more about advertising on Patch here. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site.» Mehr auf patch.com

BOCA RATON, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The GEO Group, Inc. (NYSE: GEO) (“GEO” or the “Company”) announced today that its wholly-owned subsidiary, GEO Transport, Inc. has entered into a new five-year contract, inclusive of option periods, with the U.S. Marshals Service for the provision of secure transportation and contract detention officer services across three service regions covering 26 federal judicial districts and spanning 14 states. The new contract is expected to generate up to approximatel.» Mehr auf businesswire.com

NEWARK, NJ — A Democratic congresswoman from New Jersey has been indicted on charges of “forcibly impeding and interfering with federal officers” after a scuffle outside an ICE detention facility – an allegation that she denies. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Rep. LaMonica McIver (NJ-10) was charged in a three-count indictment on Tuesday in connection with an incident that took place outside Delaney Hall in Newark on May 9. U.S. Attorney Alina Habba – whom McIver has accused of politicizing the incident – announced the indictment on Tuesday evening, an hour before polls closed in the state’s 2025 primary election. “Today’s decision by the grand jury is the next step in a process that my office will pursue to a just end,” the Trump-appointee said. Habba said McIver faces a maximum of 17 years in prison if convicted on all three charges. The congresswoman immediately responded with a statement of her own, saying that she was “looking forward to my day in court” and is entering a plea of not guilty. “The facts of this case will prove I was simply doing my job and will expose these proceedings for what they are: a brazen attempt at political intimidation,” McIver said. “This indictment is no more justified than the original charges, and is an effort by Trump’s administration to dodge accountability for the chaos ICE caused and scare me out of doing the work I was elected to do,” McIver continued. “But it won’t work – I will not be intimidated,” she added. “The facts are on our side.” McIver’s attorney, Paul Fishman, said they are eager to challenge the allegations head-on in court. “The legal process will expose this prosecution for what it truly is – political retaliation against a dedicated public servant who refuses to shy away from her oversight responsibilities,” Fishman said. McIver represents the state's 10th congressional district, which includes the following municipalities: Caldwell, East Orange, Essex Fells, Irvington, Montclair (part), Newark (part), Orange, Verona, West Orange in Essex County; Jersey City (part) in Hudson County; Cranford, Garwood, Hillside, Kenilworth, Linden (part), Roselle, Roselle Park, Union Township in Union County. DELANEY HALL The 1,000-bed facility at Delaney Hall is the first federal detention center to open under President Donald Trump’s second term. It is run by the GEO Group, one of the largest private prison companies in the world. The move allows ICE to expand its detention and deportation capacity in the Northeast region of the country. ICE started housing detainees at Delaney Hall on May 1. Pro-immigration activists have been holding a series of protests outside the facility over the past two weeks. On May 9, three Congress members – McIver, Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman and Rep. Rob Menendez Jr. – visited Delaney Hall, demanding entry to carry out their “oversight authority” and inspect the situation firsthand. Congress members are legally authorized to enter federal immigration facilities – even without advance notice. However, Homeland Security officials have accused the lawmakers of “storming the gate” and breaking into the detention facility. The U.S. Attorney's Office elaborated on these allegations on Tuesday: The U.S. Attorney's Office continued: No charges have been filed against Watson Coleman and Menendez. Federal authorities previously shared video footage from the scene and encouraged viewers to “check the tape.” “Yes, check the tape,” insisted Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, who was also at the scene. He was eventually arrested and charged with trespassing – a charge that Habba has agreed to drop. “The aggression was from the people in masks, hiding their identity,” Baraka said. “And the whole world has seen it.” McIver previously called the allegations from the U.S. Attorney's Office “purely political.” “Earlier this month, I joined my colleagues to inspect the treatment of ICE detainees at Delaney Hall in my district,” she countered. “We were fulfilling our lawful oversight responsibilities, as members of Congress have done many times before, and our visit should have been peaceful and short. Instead, ICE agents created an unnecessary and unsafe confrontation when they chose to arrest Mayor Baraka.” “The charges against me are purely political—they mischaracterize and distort my actions, and are meant to criminalize and deter legislative oversight,” McIver continued. “This administration will never stop me from working for the people in our district and standing up for what is right.” “I am thankful for the outpouring of support I have received and I look forward to the truth being laid out clearly in court,” the congresswoman added. Watson Coleman and Baraka have also disputed federal authorities’ version of events, sharing video footage that they say debunks federal authorities’ claims. Watch clips from Watson Coleman here and here, and see footage released by Baraka below. Some Republican politicians have been supporting Habba and the Trump administration, including U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew, who hosted a House Judiciary hearing on “threats to ICE operations” on Tuesday. Van Drew – who chaired the president’s re-election campaign in New Jersey last year – said that Delaney Hall houses people charged with serious crimes such as murder. The congressman claimed that detainees at the controversial facility are being “treated with dignity” and are being housed in a place that “exceeds the standards of many of our own U.S. prisons.” Several Democratic elected officials rallied behind McIver after the federal charges were announced, including U.S. Sens. Cory Booker and Andy Kim, and U.S. Reps. Mikie Sherrill, Josh Gottheimer and Frank Pallone Jr. New Jersey Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way said she is “deeply concerned” about the charges against McIver. “Members of Congress have a clear responsibility to conduct oversight of the executive branch,” Way said. “This sets a dangerous precedent that threatens the checks and balances of our Constitution. I stand with Congresswoman McIver and will continue to speak out against this abuse of power.” On Tuesday, the ACLU of New Jersey decried the indictment against McIver, with the group's executive director, Amol Sinha, calling it an "outrageous and unprecedented escalation of the Trump administration’s intimidation campaign" against its critics. "With this indictment, it's clear that the Trump administration is continuing to target lawmakers across New Jersey and the country for refusing to be complicit in its ongoing assault on immigrant communities and the fundamental rights at the core of our democracy," Sinha said. Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Learn more about advertising on Patch here. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site» Mehr auf patch.com